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Easton Neston is a country house near Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, and is part of the Easton Neston parish. It was designed in the Baroque style by the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor.〔Kerry Downes, "Hawksmoor's house at Easton Neston", ''Architectural History'' 30 (1987).; Howard Colvin, ''A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840'', 3rd ed. (Yale University Press), 1995, ''s.v.'' "Hawksmoor, Nicholas".〕 Easton Neston is thought to be the only mansion which was solely the work of Hawksmoor. From circa 1700 Hawksmoor was to work on many buildings, including Castle Howard and Blenheim Palace, with Sir John Vanbrugh, often providing the technical knowledge to the less qualified Vanbrugh. Hawksmoor's work, even after their many collaborations, was always more classically severe than Vanbrugh's. However, Easton Neston predates this partnership by some six years. The house is a Listed building Grade I.〔(British listed buildings website, accessed 26 March 2012 )〕 ==Architect== Hawksmoor was commissioned to build Easton Neston by Sir William Fermor, later created Lord Leominster;〔Sir William Fermor, created first Baron Leominster (c.1648 – 7 December 1711), the son of Sir William Fermor, Bart. (1621–1661), a member of the gentry, who inherited the Easton Neston estate in Northamptonshire in 1640 and was created a baronet the following year by Charles I. A staunch royalist, the elder Sir William was a member of the new Privy Council that restored the monarchy in 1660. His son, Sir William Fermor, married 5 March 1692, as his third wife Lady Sophia Osborne, daughter of Sir Thomas Osborne, created first Duke of Leeds. (The Peerage.com )〕 Hawksmoor had been recommended to Fermor by his cousin by marriage Sir Christopher Wren, 〔(May 2005 auction at Sotheby's. Accessed 26 May 2011 )〕 who had advised on the building of a new mansion on the site circa 1680. However, no details of quite what Wren envisaged survive, and work seems to have ceased following completion of the two service blocks, of which only one survives. Following Fermor's marriage to an heiress, Catherine Poulett, in 1692, he decided to resurrect the idea of a new mansion, and subsequently Wren's pupil Hawksmoor received the commission circa 1694. On 29 March 2011 a rare 300-word letter of about 1685 written and signed by Wren, offering advice about the construction of Easton Neston was expected to fetch up to £9,000 at auction but fetched £19,200.〔(Christopher Wren’s Easton Neston letter up for sale for £9,000, ) ''Northampton Chronicle & Echo'', 13 March 2011〕〔(Rare letter sells for £19,200, ''Salisbury Journal'' – includes copy of the letter – 31 March 2011 )〕 The letter was to Sir William Fermor, in or around 1685 or 1686 offering advice on design and building materials for the house. In May 2011, The BBC broadcast an edition of the programme ''The Country House Revealed'' featuring Easton Neston.〔(BBC i-player accessed 26 May 2011 )〕 This raised the question of whether Wren or Hawksmoor designed the building. The programme tested samples of wood from the building's roof and date tests revealed the trees were cut down between 1700–1701 rather than earlier and proving Hawksmoor as the designer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Easton Neston」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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